Some foods and beverages contain natural substances that can promote weight loss without the need to resort to strict regimens or diets. These are known as natural fat burners.
Coffee, nuts, and eggs increase the number of calories you burn per day and decrease your appetite, resulting in considerable weight loss.
In the following article, we mention and briefly explain what are the best drinks and foods that you can take to burn fat in a totally natural and healthy way.
What are the best natural fat burners?
The natural fat burners that are presented below are foods that, due to their nature and components, have the ability to reduce abdominal fat or accelerate metabolism, which will then allow the burning of calories and natural action on the accumulation of fat that exists in our body. We present then, below, a list with the 10 best.
1. Agua
The benefits of drinking enough water are many, apart from being incredibly effective for weight loss . And it seems that the more water we drink, the more our metabolism increases and the more our appetite decreases .
According to several studies:
- Drinking half a liter of water can speed up metabolism by up to 30%. (1)
- Drinking 2 liters of water a day can increase energy expenditure by 96 calories per day .
Note: The effects are even greater when we drink cold water or before meals. When drinking cold water, the body needs to expend energy (calories) to warm the water to body temperature.
When water is drunk half an hour before meals, the person automatically consumes fewer calories throughout the day (2) . In fact, a study has revealed that drinking a pint of water before meals increases feelings of fullness and helps you lose up to 44% more weight. (3)
2. Eggs
Eggs are one of the best foods you can consume if you want to lose weight. They are high in protein, healthy fats, and fill you up with a small amount of calories.
There are studies that have proven that eating eggs for breakfast can automatically make you consume fewer calories the rest of the day, causing (4) :
- A 65% greater weight loss.
- A 34% reduction in abdominal girth.
- A 16% reduction in body fat.
3. Café
Coffee is a very healthy drink loaded with antioxidants and bioactive compounds. There is plenty of evidence that caffeine , the main active ingredient in coffee, can increase abdominal fat burning and help control body weight. (5)
In fact, caffeine can be found as an ingredient in almost any supplement that is recognized as a natural fat burner.
According to a study, drinking between 4 and 6 cups of coffee a day can make you burn up to 150 more calories per day (6) . On the other hand, caffeine has been shown to temporarily boost metabolism by 3-11% and burn 10-29% of fat. (7)
Note: Heavy coffee consumers can quickly develop a tolerance to this drink, so the fat burning effect may not be effective.
4. Coconut oil
Coconut oil is characterized by having a high content of medium-length fatty acids . According to several studies, these fatty acids, called medium chain triglycerides, can (8) :
- Increase satiety by making you consume up to 256 fewer calories a day .
- Raise the number of calories you burn per day by up to 120 calories per day .
Similarly, taking two tablespoons of coconut oil can considerably reduce the abdominal girth , a measure that indicates the concentration of fat in the abdomen.
5. Green tea
Green tea is another great drink for weight loss and highly recognized as part of natural fat burning foods. Like coffee, it contains a certain amount of caffeine and, as we have mentioned, this substance favors the reduction of abdominal fat and accelerates our body’s metabolism.
What green tea really stands out for, however, is that it contains an antioxidant called EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate). EGCG increases the activity of the hormone norepinephrine, which tells fat cells to break down fat. (9)
Note: In one study, green tea consumption increased fat burning by up to 17% and increased energy expenditure by 4% . Finally, there are also indications that green tea may be effective in removing fat that accumulates in the abdominal cavity. (10)
6. Cooked potatoes
Potatoes can make you gain weight or lose weight, it all depends on how you cook them. According to the Satiety Index (SI), which measures the feeling of satiety produced by food, cooked potatoes have the highest index compared to other foods. (eleven)
Eating cooked potatoes fills your stomach sooner , you feel full longer and therefore eat less of other foods . They contain a protein called protease inhibitor 2 and it seems to be responsible for the effects on appetite hormones in our body. (12)
Note: If you want to increase the slimming effects of potatoes, you have to let them cool after cooking: they will form large amounts of resistant starch, a fiber-like substance that can help you lose more weight. (13)
7. Nuts
Nuts are a great low – carb snack that is high in fiber , protein and healthy fats . Despite its high fat content, nuts do not make our body fat, but rather help to lose weight .
Note: Nuts are structured in such a way that the body can barely access the calories they contain: around 10-15% are not even absorbed. (14)
There is some evidence that the consumption of nuts in our diet can increase metabolism and reduce appetite , since they are incredibly satiating. In one study, a low-calorie diet supplemented with almonds caused 62% more weight loss than the same diet supplemented with complex carbohydrates. (fifteen)
8. Fish and lean meat
Fish and lean meat are some of the best sources of quality protein that exist for our body. And, protein is the most appetite-satisfying nutrient, making you burn up to 80-100 more calories a day. In addition, a diet rich in protein can (16) :
- Reduce cravings by 60%.
- Halve the desire to snack late at night.
- Cause a weight loss of almost half a kilo a week.
Bottom Line: Protein can be really effective in maintaining weight loss and helping you keep it off.
9. Chili peppers
Hot peppers, like chili peppers, contain capsaicin, a substance capable of reducing appetite and increasing metabolism and fat burning (17) . In fact, capsaicin is a very popular ingredient that is included in various supplements marketed as slimming.
If you like spicy food, you can increase your consumption and thus take advantage of its natural fat burning effect. However, as with caffeine, people who tend to eat spicy foods in their diet may develop some tolerance to chili peppers and the weight loss effects may wear off.
10. Apple Cider Vinegar
Various studies have found that apple cider vinegar is useful for people who want to lose weight . Consuming apple cider vinegar along with a carbohydrate-rich meal increases the feeling of fullness and can reduce daily calorie intake by between 200 and 275 fewer calories in our diet. (18)
Note: Taking 15 to 30 ml of vinegar daily can have an incredible natural fat burning action, it achieves fat elimination and causes a weight loss of between 1.2 and 1.7 kg.
University Professional in the area of Human Resources, Postgraduate in Occupational Health and Hygiene of the Work Environment, 14 years of experience in the area of health. Interested in topics of Psychology, Occupational Health, and General Medicine.